2020 Holiday Greetings- I'm still maintaining a 61 pound weight loss! 8 years, 11 months

 Howdy, y'all. 2020, what a year it's been! 

What's working for me (photos soon)

0. New scale, who dis? I gained 2-3 pounds via the new scale. LOL. Almost back to pre-new scale weights.

1. I'm still maintaining 61 pound weight loss

2. I'm still food sober, keeping food addiction in remission.

3. I'm still Covid-19 free and awaiting a vaccine (next month or so, So. Cal Healthcare worker)

4. I'm sleeping well

5. I'm still taking superfun coastal walks outside, safe from the 'Rona

6. Low Carb, fasting past 12noon-1pm, low Carb Paleo, meat off the bone, some veg continue to be a great food template.

What's not working as well

0. I'm right at the top of my scream weight. Looking for 3-5 pounds sustained loss for 2021. 

1. I'm not tracking my food hardly at all, I have better results when I do.

2. I've had some close calls (near misses) with eating in the evening- but have stopped, paused and gone to bed because the stress was caused from being too tired.

3. Covid-19 is out of control in San Diego and Orange County. ICU beds are full. The next 2-3 months are grim down here. Please, stay safe, as safe as you can for your situation. This thing is hitting folks disproportionately.

 Wear a mask, be outdoors if it is not too cold, get a vaccine, after a consult with your doctor) . I've put myself at risk this year to keep many who need health care well. Favor: Make my risk ,and the risk of my co-workers worth it!!! Thank you in advance. Just guessing most of my readers are on board. Buckets of thanks!  You are my people. Verify facts with your doctor, with trusted health professionals. 

4. I need more room darkening curtains to sleep better at my house.

5. I need to rebuild upper body strength ASAP. Yo! 

6. Eating past 1pm is just terrible for me and  = rapid weight retain. When will I ever learn?

Hope you are all well and your families are well.  Comment moderation is ON. I check once a week now. Will publish your comment ASAP. 

Weight loss photos soon. Meanwhile

Interesting Clinical Trial for Fitbit and Apple Watch users- March 2020

Hello All,

PS- if you are here for weight maintenance: Graphs at the end of the post!

Here's a great Clinical Trial via Scripps Research! I've signed up and given access to my resting heart rate. Theoretically, my resting heart rate will increase if I've been exposed, but long before I get a fever. (Covid-19)

And in the past, this has been 100% true for my cold viruses and my shingles outbreaks.

So please help the researchers gather data and predict community outbreaks before they happen.
Enroll in the study if you have a FitBit or Apple watch.
I've promised my boss I would stay home (I'm a  lab professional) and not be a risk to our team if I saw a big jump in resting heart rate.

Here's my March data from the MyDataHelps app  This is my baseline:

MyDataHelps App March 2020

Here's what my non-infected resting heart rate looked like from my Fitbit:

March 2020

2 month weight graph: PS, my resting heart rate went way down when I lost weight and kept it off. My resting heart rate went even lower when I removed grains, sugar and dairy from my food template. My heart doesn't lie. I listen to it. NSNG, LCHF, and Paleo for the WIN!

Keeping it within my current normal range:

Long term weight maintenance,March 2020

Right before they closed the beach:

Ponto Beach, Carlsbad- before beach closures March 2020

Stay safe my friends. Physical Distance > Social Distance. Zoom meetings and Calls, Skype and finding local walks that are not populated.

Are you monitoring body temp, resting heart rate, blood pressure?  I am and it's cool data. Stay safe my friends.

If you are a food addict, please stay strong and abstain, binge eating will not fix COVID-19

Hello Friends,

Food addiction will not fix COVID-19. There, I said it. And, there are online meetings that may help.

What can I say? I'm lucky to be okay right now. I know this is a tough time for all of us for many different reasons. I remind myself this may not be the only pandemic in my lifetime.

I'm sorry. It's not great. The worst may be yet to come, yet I'm choosing to look at the plusses in life.

My positives:
1. My family is safe ,for now.
2. I have stayed on my food template and will to the last breath.
3. I'm a health care worker in real life and continue to make a difference. This is just the beginning.
4. My pets are okay, one cat sick but my vet stayed open and kitty is on the mend.
5. I have what I need today and I'm helping others where I can.
6. I'm food sober, every meal.
7. I'm cooking food sober meals at home. Foods that I need (meat, vege) and medicines are in stock.
8. I just had a regular check up and eye checkup. Everything's A-Okay. Delay in ordering glasses, yes. but I can still read.
9. I'm checking in with co-workers, friends, and family. I'm still playing Pokemon at a distance.
10. Beach and lagoon walks are LIFE. We keep a safe distance. It's good to get outside.
11. Meditation daily. I see colors and patterns when I meditate, and it's kind of fun and funky and relaxing. Like a "trip" without drugs. LOL.

Well here's to all of you staying safe and well and being smart about #flatteningthecurve.

Take care and I continue to daily weigh, eat LCHF, and walk as much as I can. Might have to get some more gardening going. Onward and here's to another food sober meal, day, week, month, year, and life.

Proof of maintenance. Super glad to be getting a buffer between my 125 scream weight and my current 123. I like that trend!! (see graphs below)

3 months, 1 year, and 8+ years!

I did have one moment of "stinking thinking" at Trader Joe's and labeled it for what it was and moved a long. My food addiction will pop in from time to time, and it's my choice to take it back outside my door, slam the door, lock it and be safe.

Onward. I'm on Instagram most often. Hit my sidebar and catch me there. Safe travels. You are not alone. I remain committed to be food sober, until my last breath.

How y'all doing (catch my reference? Dr. Now...LOL). Check in below. I'm moderating comments but will let yours through soon. Karen

Mood

Lunch walk at work, gives me peace and hope March 2020

Tweets that made me think- Keto Book Donation, WW vs Keto RCT, Sketchy Food Grading?

Okay:

Here's a few tweets that made me think, and a few other things:

(Karen's notes: I've been under the weather a bit, seasonal cold and one massive migraine due to dehydration- on the mend, but taking it easy, reading lots of twitter, IG, and Reddit.)


Keto Book Donation Challenge:

VERY COOL! https://t.co/HiVbM6FCmY

— Amy Berger (@TuitNutrition) January 5, 2020

Randomized Controlled Trial that compares WW vs Keto

It's Jan 3! Anyone interested in a new weight loss trial? @DrJonLittle is the PI on a new RCT sponsored by @GetKeyto comparing the Key Eats low-carb program head to head vs Weight Watchers

Check eligibility herehttps://t.co/I65Dr7H0eH

— Ethan Weiss (@ethanjweiss) January 3, 2020

Is Weight loss and Weight Maintenance easy, hard, moderate? Grabbing my 20 tools of weight maintenance was not always easy, but abstaining from my binge triggers makes it easier. My weight wants to come back though, so that part is hard. Own your own plan, it's what you make it.

I use about 20 tools to maintain 63 pounds off ( 70 lost almost 8 years ago). Habits become easier, however, my weight still wants to come back. I won’t let it. #lchf #keto #paleo #foodsober #foodsoberliving #abstaining #imlowcarbandproudofit #weightmaintenance

— Karen P (@gardengirl_kp) January 5, 2020

Be careful of the food grades, recipes and recommendations on your apps and in your email box- My Fitness Pal is a common offender. Most of their recommendations made me fat and drove me to Type 2 Diabetes. Most employers will shove healthy whole grain recommendations right down your email pie hole. Hey, laughing salad, with no meat, whole grain avocado toast lady, F-off!!!  Even the ADA now offers low carb as a choice. OMG-  I was so fat when I ate whole grains. I had food addiction when I ate whole grains!

Karen's rant continued...
Even many popular Food Addiction menu plans want me still binge eating AND diabetic. WHUT the WHAT?!  Many of us find recovery without whole grains, diabetes, and high inflammation,  Bring your own recovery food plan with you, especially if you are like me and need to be grain free. If you can eat grains and not get diabetes, kudos to you. I cannot. Set good boundaries with your recovery team on grains. Speak up!

Here's a great example of food industry foolery. Think that food marketing was involved??Think For something more effective: Unprocessed food and think #NSNG for starts.

#Nutriscore

Enjoy your health. pic.twitter.com/vZJM7af5RV

— Frédéric Leroy (@fleroy1974) April 9, 2019

Sanity around Low Carb and Keto being sustainable. Almost 8 years for me.

The ADA once again endorses low-carb nutrition for managing diabetes. But what will it take to quell concerns about sustainability and make it first line therapy? https://t.co/s6g43pA8BI

— Bret Scher, MD (@bschermd) December 23, 2019

Measuring ketones? Many of my friends depend on a higher ketone level for good mental health, depression in remission, and overall wellness. For me, I can me mild to moderate levels of ketones. I fast 18:6 and since I don't eat in the evening, that means my ketones are almost always low moderate. My carbs are anywhere from 20-50 grams daily.

I had a great exchange with a fellow weight maintainer. I had forgotten about this resource. I use Keto Mojo for my ketone meter and only test ketones once every month or twice a month. Glucose 3-4X per month. Important note: my urine ketones went away after 6-9 months but I'm very much in nutritional ketosis and keto from fasting, most days.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/ketone-testing-three-ways


Proof of weight maintenance:

Keeping the Coaster Train on the Tracks, S.Del Mar, CA, low tide

Starting the new Decade - Weight Maintenance- Send Your Friends- Jan 2020

Bye 2019, hello new decade

Okay, Okay. Here's my first blog post of 2020.

I've decided to be more active on IG, FB, Twitters (if you aren't mean, I won't block you-LOL)

I will post 1-2 month blog updates in 2020. Certainly I can manage this. It's important to keep updating in Weight Maintenance.

Why? Most maintainers, but not all ,will go back to obesity pretty quick. It's important to associate with active , long term weight maintainers so you can get some mentoring, paid or otherwise. Just my 2 cents. But, I'm pretty sure I'm 100% right.

And guess what, you can maintain at WW, low fat or whatever. I could not, but that does not mean there are many who can. Knock yourself out and please send over (Red Rover) your friends to LCHF and Keto, if they struggle with maintenance in other plans that aren't working.

 Because having a choice is what made me successful. Thanks!

Send your friends. Swoop in and steal ideas from old posts. Follow my IG stories to see how to cook meat, vege, and render fat. Follow Facebook too see

BE ONE WITH WEIGHT MAINTENANCE. And tell yourself you are a weight maintainer. I'm the budget weight maintainer. My interactions are free, yo! This also keeps me accountable to myself as an "upholder" so it helps me just as much.

OMG- That just rolled right out of my head. My only 2 hard in cement goals for 2020 are

1. Keep dishes clean (place in dishwasher, hand wash, put away) daily
2. Track all food 24/7/365 on My Fitness Pal

I'm still working on my 20 for 2020 list. 

Everything else is frosting on the cupcake I stopped eating in April 2011 because I'm a food addict in recovery. Onward. I pray for safe travels and navigating the ups and downs in 2020 for you. Post in comments if you feel like doing so, otherwise catch you over on the GRAM.

Photos tell all:

8.5 years of long term weight maintenance

Test, Do not Guess your blood glucose

These two cats!!! LOL

New Book recommendation- Stall Slayer- Amy Berger

Hello All,

Quick post to recommend:

The Stall Slayer- by Amy Berger

1. The book is not out yet, but soon!
2. The "book" will be in PDF format and available in Kindle
3. Keep watching Amy's blog for the release (as of 11/9/19, it's not out yet..)

There is a preview on Amy's blog, so check it out. She is often the sense of reason in the Low Carb & Keto Community. There are many stumbling blocks to work through on any diet plan. Low Carb and Keto are no different.

For me: Add in being post Hashimoto's and needing to stop 40 years of food addiction. A lot of "experts" tell you oh, 3-4 days of tough. Oh, 6-8 weeks of binge urges.

For me- TRY 2-3 years. Years. Okay, so a lot of work, but this wave of the hand and boom LCHF is the end all-be all, No, not for me, it was just not enough.

In a way that is good, though. It allowed me time to "practice" weight maintenance and food sobriety. In a way, it was tough, though. All of us were sold an "It's easy, just a few days/weeks".

Time to hone the skills and deal with the real roots. The real stumbling blocks.

Example:
 I got stressed out, and I had a few binge urges over the last week or so. Exhausted. Cutting back on my side hustle. Getting better sleep, taking care of myself- walks, time with friends.  No, I don't need food to soothe. Just to slow down a bit, take time.

Play with the furry beasts

Tortie, furry goof balls!

Anyway, I'll be obtaining the whol the Stall Slayer book when it's published ,and I will give a full review.

PS-Proof of weight maintenance. I don't use time off the blog to back off from my weight data and making small adjustments. Consistency is super key!  So is self-talk, self-sabbotage and other food addiction TRAPS. No. Nope, no thank you. The next 40 years are mine.

Food Sober Halloween 2019- Nine years into remission, my best tools

Food Sober Halloween. It really started here for me. Bite size.... Bite me... The disease was full swing with those little bars. Sad. If you can moderate those, please have empathy for those of us who dive deep into disease. It's a disease, not a lack of willpower.


My best tools

1. I don't keep or give candy out at Halloween. I go dark. I love the kids all dressed up. I refuse to enable childhood obesity, diabetes and fatty liver. Personal choice. Move along to the next house, the munchkins are not sugar deficient. I promise. LOL. It's not funny though. It's so heartbreaking.

Seriously, we have a global pandemic for adults and kids. NO WAY will I fuel this monster. PS- I'm getting a roll of quarters today for my besties. I'm not the Halloween grinch, but I do care that kids are getting liver transplants and teens are getting gastric bypass. It doesn't have to be this way. Preventable. I know, I was an obese kid. I stopped myself from getting sick. I want others to stop easier than the way I did it.

Oh and no, I'm not into giving out plastic crap trinkets. They wind up junking up the yard and going down the drain to the beach where I pick them up again and again. So no.

Lots of non-food ways to celebrate the season.

2. Manage stress: OMG this week will be off the stress chain. Planning by batch cooking my food, sleeping as well as I can, and meditation.

Low tide just north of Swami's Beach, Encinita

3. Abstaining from all binge trigger food. No grains, no sugar, no guar or xantham gum, no nuts. I predict no binge urges. So much easier to manage if I don't open my brain up to stinking thinking.

4. Hopping on the scale, daily. It doesn't lie. It's data. Hop on, record the number, move along. Make choices that will change the number if you decide you need to do that. No shame, no blame. Just data management. Be scientific. Be Processed based. Be hopping into food sober living because it is a choice made with a clear mind.

2 months of daily weight data

I'm abstaining this week. I'm doing my part to end childhood disease. If you are local, stop by for a quarter and tell me that you are, too. If you are far away. Virtual 25 cents in your box. :)

Onward and use the power of the tool abstinence is, as needed.

Kind of glad the doorbell is broken!